Journey through Vietnam and Cambodia

OVERVIEW

The neighbouring countries of Cambodia and Vietnam are the basis for this two-week trip around Southeast Asia. The region offers travellers immensely diverse experiences; from the Hindu inspired architecture of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, to Ho Chi Minh City’s French colonial buildings in Vietnam; from the Cu Chi tunnels harking back to Vietnam’s turbulent encounter with the United States, to the tranquillity of the cultural centres of Hue, Hoi An and My Son, all UNESCO sites; from Hanoi’s bustling markets, to the spectacular limestone peaks rising out of an aquamarine sea at Halong Bay.

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1 • Arrival in Hanoi

You will be welcomed upon arrival at Hanoi airport and transferred to your hotel. In the evening you will enjoy an optional water puppet performance before dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at the Golden Art Hotel
.

Day 2 • Hanoi City Tour

This full day tour will take you around Hanoi’s most interesting sights, including the Ho Chi Minh Complex, Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and Stilt House, the Presidential Palace, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Old Quarter, known for its maze of 36 streets and former craft guilds. Overnight again at the Golden Art Hotel
.

Day 3 • Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay via Halong Bay

After breakfast, you will be collected from Hanoi Old Quarter and taken on the highway to Dinh Vu Port. You will transfer by tender to the Orchid Cruise vessel, where you will be welcomed and receive a cruise briefing before starting your cruise around Halong Bay – one of the New Seven Wonders of the Natural World. Enjoy lunch while cruising through the islets of Con Vit and Gia Luan. These amazing limestone karst formations rise up out of the sea impressively. This area is untouched, as not many cruise ships use the route via the Cat Ba Island. In the evening you will return to the boat in time to witness sunset over the Gulf of Tonkin. Onboard you may even want to join a traditional Vietnamese cooking class. Overnight aboard the Orchid Cruise
vessel.

Day 4 • Halong Bay to Hue via Hanoi

Today, if you rise early, you can enjoy an invigorating Tai Chi session on the sundeck. After a light breakfast, head out in canoes to explore the Sang Toi cave. Return to the boat for brunch, after which you will disembark and be transferred overland to Hanoi in time for your flight to Hue. Upon arrival at Phu Bai airport, you will be transferred to your hotel in Hue. Overnight at the La Residence Hotel
.

Day 5 • Hue Ancient Town

This morning you will be met at the hotel by a driver and guide. Start your tour with a cruise aboard the Dragon Boat on the Perfume River which will take you out into the countryside. Being the ancient capital, Hue is surrounded with ancient tombs of emperors past. The charming Lady Pagoda (Thien Mu Pagoda) will be your first stop. From here you will travel by vehicle to King Minh Mang’s and King Tu Duc’s tombs. Enjoy lunch at local restaurant before continuing to Hue Citadel and Dong Ba market. Overnight again at La Residence Hotel
.

Day 6 • Hue to Hoi An Ancient City via Danang

After breakfast at your hotel, you will have some free time until you need to transfer to Hoi An. En route, stop at Hai Van Pass. On arrival in Hoi An, check in at your hotel and have the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Overnight at the Hoi An Holiday Villa
.

Day 7 • Hoi An Ancient City & Tra Que Village

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be taken on a half-day excursion to Hoi An. The colorful store-front houses and temples reflect a diverse heritage, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was a major port for Western, Chinese and Japanese traders. Today it is a thriving center of traditional crafts and a shopper’s paradise, best explored by means of a walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the old quarter. Overnight again at the Hoi An Holiday Villa
.

Day 8 • Hoi An Cooking CLass

Today, you will have the option to experience a fun and interesting half-day cooking class in Hoi An, during which you will learn some Vietnamese dishes and experience more of the Hoi An way of life. Already in its 18th year, this popular cooking class is listed in many of the major guidebooks and on TripAdvisor. A highlight of this course is a boat trip from “Vy’s Market Restaurant” to Hoi An’scolourful central market. You will have a tour of the market with an English speaking guide followed by an interesting and informative tour of Vy’s Market Restaurant, where you will watch live cooking demonstrations, enjoy food tastings and have about two hour’s worth of hands-on classes. You will have the afternoon free to relax. Overnight again at Hoi An Holiday Villa
.

Day 9 • Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City via Danang

After breakfast, transfer to Da Nang Airport in time for your flight to Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, begin your tour of this exciting city with a stroll along Dong Khoi Street in the historic center, formerly known as the Rue Catinat, the main shopping thoroughfare and heart of old colonial Saigon. Pass by classic European-style landmarks such as the ornate City Hall (Hotel De Ville) and the old Opera House (both may only be viewed from the outside), and pay a quick visit to the neo-Romanesque Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. Afterwards, dive into modern history with a tour of the Reunification Palace. Continue to the harrowing War Remnants Museum, which comprehensively documents the travails of the long Vietnam- American War. Overnight at Villa Song
.

Day 10 • Hoc Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta

After breakfast at your hotel, your tour guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and transfer you to Cai Be pier. Here you will take a motorized boat to visit Cai Be Floating Market, where you will have a chance to observe the lively activities of local merchants trading their produce from vessels. Visit Dong Hoa Hiep village where you will visit a family-run business that produce rice cakes and rice paper, popcorn (or pop-rice) or coconut candy. The boat trip will continue by rowing boat to explore the small natural canal system of Mekong Delta. After lunch at a local restaurant, return to Cai Be pier and drive back to Saigon. Overnight again at Villa Song
.

Day 11 • Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels then fly to Siem Reap in Cambodia

After breakfast at your hotel, you will enjoy a short excursion to the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a network of tunnels that stretched for over 250kms from Saigon to the Cambodian border during the U.S. / Vietnam war and was up to three levels deep. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience and a feel of what underground life during the war must have been like. After lunch at the hotel, you will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Siem Reap. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Overnight at the Shinta Mani Shack
.

Day 12 • Explore Angkor Wat

Today after breakfast, you will start your sightseeing tour of the Angkor complex with a short exploration of the wondrous ancient ruins, to include the South Gate of Angkor Thom, famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone, the impressive Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the largest as well as the most complete temple of Angkor Wat. Overnight in Siem Reap at the Shinta Mani Shack
.

Day 13 • Morning tour of Angkor Circle

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be met by a guide and taken for a walk around the jungle-covered temple of Ta Prohm. There are enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers which embrace themselves in the stone foundations of the structure giving the impression of man’s creation being reclaimed by the powerful forces of nature. Overnight again at Shinta Mani Shack
.

Day 14 • Banteay Srei

After breakfast, drive to the well-preserved temple of Banteay Srei. Along the way we make a stopover at the Preah Dark village, followed by a visit the Banteay Samre Temple, adorned with impressive reliefs depicting scenes of the Vishnu as well as the Krishna legends. Again, you will have the afternoon free to pursue the many optional activities on offer. Overnight again at Shinta Mani Shack
.

Day 15 • Depart Cambodia

Today you will have breakfast at hotel, where after you will be free until you are transferred to the airport in time for your flight home.